Extraordinary Erica

Monday, May 13, 2019

It's mostly been a cold, rainy spring here in New Jersey. We have had a few nice days, though. I went to the park one day to read and write in my journal. It was fun!

Our baby birds have gotten so big! In exactly one year and a day, we had six babies. That's virtually unheard of for hyacinth macaws. We feel incredibly blessed.

Speaking of blessings, my dad finally helped me get a book shelf in my bedroom. Finally! Now I can display some of my books, which makes it much easier to peruse my collection than if they were in boxes. Can you tell I love books?

I've still been crocheting up a storm and making art, of course. I made a few paintings this month. I also crocheted a bunch of cat beds, a mason jar cozy, a headband, and some other items.

It would mean a lot to me if you would check out my Etsy shop, Green Owl Crochet, where I sell some of the items I crochet. I also accept crochet commissions. Thank you!

Sunday, March 24, 2019

Composition You are from the plenitude of stars in our vast heavens. And you aremade of the clear water thatruns through deep valley streams. And most of all, you are dedicated to the planets, the estuary,the quasars, theleaves of marjoram, the jasper, and the totality of being.

Hello, mates! It's the early morning here in New Jersey. I'm awake so that I can feed the baby birds. I figured now is as good of a time as any to update my blog. Last week, I was able to make some art! I made six pieces of art on canvas or cardboard and three pieces of art on 4" x 6" postcards. I was so happy to finally be able to make some art! I'll share some pictures of my art below. Please don't forget that I am @EricaBerrie Instagram. I share more of my art, crochet projects, etc on there. I've also been crocheting a bit. Recently, I've made an ear warmer, a wreath (for a customer), and two hats. I also worked on the granny square lap blanket I had started back on Christmas day at my cousins' house. I love having at least one large, easy crochet project going at any given time. If you're interested in buying any of my crocheted goods or commissioning me to crochet something for you, please check out my Etsy shop, Green Owl Crochet. Thank you!

Wednesday, February 27, 2019

I've been hooking up a storm! It's late February and here in New Jersey, it's still nice and cold. We had a snow day last week. I was stuck in the house all day, so I used the down time to crochet a whale stuffie, finish a hat, and start on a cactus stuffie. I still haven't finished the cactus stuffie, due to lack of a dark brown yarn (for the cactus's pot). In the past two weeks, I've also crocheted two cat beds, an ear warmer, and two cowls, and I started on a fall-themed wreath for a customer. Speaking of customers, have you checked out my Etsy shop yet? If not, please check it out! It's Green Owl Crochet. Thank you!

Wednesday, February 13, 2019

I'm thrilled to announce that I was able to take part in my first "real", in-person yarn bomb! I've done smaller yarn bombs by myself and also participated in various yarn bombs by mailing my crocheted pieces to other artists. However, this was my first time doing an in-person yarn bomb that involved wrapping my work around a tree. This yarn bomb was held on February 3, 2019 and was hosted by the Montclair Art Museum in Montclair, New Jersey (USA). I decided to go with a winter theme, so I crocheted an aqua background and some white snowflakes, which I sewed onto the background. On the day of the yarn bomb, I partnered with two other artists, Brooke and Carole, to cover a tree. We were lucky because we were given permission to cover the tree that's right in front of the museum entrance. What an honor! It was interesting because even though Brooke, Carole and I had never met before, we worked together well and our tree came out looking fabulous. I had a lot of fun! I was also interviewed on video camera. The idea of being on video made me nervous at first, but now I'm so glad I did it. Thank you to Gabrielle Frasco of the Montclair Art Museum for hosting the yarn bomb.

Saturday, January 26, 2019

I wrote Tapio about ten years ago. I still remember exactly where I was sitting when I wrote it. I was sitting at a picnic table at a park near my house. This park is close enough that I can walk to it. So, one summer, I would pack up a bag and go sit at the park for a while. I wrote in my journal, wrote some poems, and even started writing a novel. Even though I enjoyed sitting at the picnic table in the summer, I couldn't help but wonder what the heavily-wooded park would be like in the winter. And thus, Tapio was born. Enjoy!

Tapio

I sit here,in brilliant solitude,amongst the strong evergreens.

Snow has fallen.The air is crisp.The sky heavy and gray.

There is silence abound,save for the charming sounds of nature-a bird calling, a deer sprinting, a squirrel leaping.

Monday, January 14, 2019

How was your holiday? Mine was fun! My mom, dad, and I drove to Massachusetts to see my aunt, uncle, cousins, and my uncle's brother. I got a bunch of cool gifts, including lots of yarn. The car ride home was really tough, as it made my leg pain much worse. Of course, my fibromyalgia pain is always bad, unfortunately. I was even in the hospital two weeks ago. Anyway, I spent much of the weekend crocheting a bunch of snowflakes. I think I made fifteen of them. I used a pattern by London Kaye. Also, I donated some of my handmade cat beds to a local animal shelter. One of the volunteers was nice enough to take a picture of one of the kitties enjoying my handiwork. Bliss! I have a bunch of cool stuff in Green Owl Crochet, my Etsy shop. Please check it out.